Review: Make a Living Writing: The 21st Century Guide By Carol Tice
http://www.makealivingwriting.com/ebooks/
PROS:
- Tips on being a professional freelance writer from a professional.
- Clear, easy instructions and advice, including step-by-step guides.
- No extraneous information or distractors – gets right to the point.
- Both positive and realistic.
CONS:
- The chapter on making money with a blog is a bit light.
SUMMARY: A must-buy book for people who want to make a living writing.
Let me get some disclaimers out – I know Carol Tice, I've asked her for advice, and listed her as a resource. So you may assume I'm biased.
Frankly, I'm not. I won't recommend something not worth your money, and as her ebook is $36.00, and I'm a cheapskate, you can guess I won't be telling you to buy this book unless it's worth it.
I bought two copies, one for a friend and one for me. That's how impressed I was with this book.
(Yes. I paid $36.00 for an ebook. Twice. Anyone who knows me is probably freaked out by now.)
So, let's get to the review.
Carol Tice is a professional writer of . . . well, just about anything. She's been doing it since 2005 and compiled all of her experiences and research into one book to share with people. That's pretty much it – she took 'write what you know' and wrote about you writing.
The book is broken into 3 sections – writing for publications, writing for others (Copywriting), and making a living with a blog. Each section stands on its own, and is further broken up into subsections, making all the advice clear and easy to follow.
Each section leads you step-by-step through the things you'll need to do – or at least consider – for making a living at one or more of these types of writing. There's a plethora of links, timelines, suggestions, resources, and more.
How detailed? I like to think of myself as a reasonably savvy person about media, publications, and writing, and I learned a great deal. The author dives deep into the nitty-gritty of getting writing assignments, organizing your life, and more. This is her spilling her experiences onto the page for you – things that you could only learn if you were already a successful writer.
On top of all of this is the author's rational optimism. She knows the world is tough, she knows the challenges people face, and she acknowledges them. She also promotes a positive outlook and relentless activity as a way to succeed – to her a good outlook is as powerful a tool as crafting words.
Simply, it's a good book. It makes you see and believe in the possibilities out there to write.
If there's anything lacking, it's that the section on blogging seems a bit light compared to the amazingly extensive advice of the other two sections. This is certainly understandable as the blog world is a moving target, but it is a warning if that's your major focus.
Basically, there's many reasons for me to recommend this book to those who want to make a living writing, and no reason to advise against it. You have the distilled experience of one successful writer in one book – there's really no way to go wrong.
This is a great book. I can't really add to that.
You can find more about the author at http://www.caroltice.com/, and you can see her blog and get her book at http://www.makealivingwriting.com/.
– Steven Savage